I check out a lot of fantasy games and most of the time I find that they don't interest me. At all.

Mostly the usual settings, with knights, wizards, thieves, clerics, goblins, orcs, elves, dwarves, castles, forests, cities, towns, caves, etc. A lot of them are actually detailed, but they still don't catch my attention.

And for the PC group, most GMs allow a lot of types, and encourage highly different ones, mentioning the "not wanting to step on each others' toes" explanation. This results in the usual groups, with arcane caster, divine caster, skill monkey, tank, damage dealer, etc.

And thinking all about this I knew that it's not their or the universe's fault that I find them clinically boring, but somehow me. So I kept thinking to find the reason, and I did:
I've been roleplaying for over 20 years, and I've seen this usual group in this usual setting so many times, that I've become jaded about them. I still need a good story and engaging characters for entertainment, but the hundred-times-seen settings and groups bore me to death. Once again: it characterizes me, not these games or their players.

So, I'd like to find players out there, with whom we can cook up settings and group compositions so unusual that they get my juices flowing.

If you're interested, welcome. If not, you're still welcome.
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This message was last edited by the user at 14:16, Fri 14 Aug 2015.

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In reply to greenvoid (msg # 1):

i once listened to a pod cast where every one was going to a magician college for various reasons. However they started at lvl 2 because the first lvl was a different class. this was part of there back ground. they hadd a rouge, fighter, cleric ect. At some point they became gifted with magic. this led to interesting back grounds and play styles as they had to adapt to a wizards life. such as the fighters dad sending him off to school to against his will. the same pod cast group did another one with a rouges guild to. just one idea i can shoot you more if i think of them

I'm surprised that the Moderators haven't moved this to the Game Proposals, Input and Advice forum.

As it is, there's a discussion forum for Steampunk, so I don't see why you couldn't do one for this.

I understand, though, what you are getting at. I've been playing RPGs for 34 years, and I've had similar feelings, thoughts, attitudes... there must be SOMETHING else, right?

The catch is that there really is a limited number of possibilities. To start with, if you are playing a protagonist (the Hero), there are only four basic ways you can define him: brawn (fighter types), smarts (wizard or tech types), common sense (priest types) or sneaky (rogues and such). Everything else is either some variation of that or a combination of two or more.

An idea that comes to mind is that you could have characters that fall into one of these categories at the start, but each time they utilize that aspect, they change into one of the other types.

The rest, of course, is settings. Whether you call a creature an Elf or a Dwarf or a Thistledown or an Orc, there are still a limited number of roles that they can fill, though I keep trying to think outside the box to come up with something new and different and unique. After 50 years of the industry, I'm not sure that's even possible. You also have to keep in mind that the 'average' player is still comfortable with the Norm.

Another idea I've had is to custom build your character. There are no classes or similar breakdowns. You decide whether your character battles (take Fight) or sneaks (take Stealth) or cast spells (take Magic), etc. The same could really be done for Abilities, and I was just thinking the same might be possible for making a custom Species.

Do you think the same system might be possible for creating the setting? Choose size (country, world, star system, galaxy, etc.), choose conditions, etc.